Closed receptacle or case



Patented Mar. 16, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLOSED RECEPTACLE R CASE Merrill L. Rathbun, Salamanca, N; Y. Application January 12, 1940, Serial No. 313,553

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in closed receptacles or cases and more particularly to that class of cases adaptable for the accommodation and display of jewelry or similar articles.

One embodiment of the invention discloses a closed receptacle for use in packaging and displaying articles of jewelry of the nature of rings, pendants, pins, etc. t will be apparent, however, from a consideration of the specification and drawing that changes in size of the receptacle, without material alteration of structure, will adapt it for use in packaging and displaying other articles. The receptacle is provided with a hinged cover that may be in the nature of a frame. A suitable article supporting member, located in the receptacle, is invertible for package or display purposes, and in either position may be framed by the hinged cover.

Prior to this invention receptacles of this class have been utilized not only for packaging articles of jewelry but also to display such articles, particularly in shop windows. The display of articles in these receptacles has been more or less limited due to the fact that they must be inclined forwardly of the window, or suitable pads on which to mount articles be provided for this purpose. vIn many instances the shelf or ledge in the display window is fiat and it has been found that the open covers of receptacles, located adjacent the front of the window, to a large extent obscured the remainder of the display. Thus the cover, as far as displaying articles was concerned, became a hindrance and the receptacles were required to be staggeredly arranged or mounted on special stepped shelving.

The present invention has for one of its objects the provision of a closed receptacle that serves both to package and display articles of jewelry or other merchandise.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of a closed receptacle having an invertible member that serves to support and display an article of merchandise.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of an article supporting member that cooperates with a hinged frame to form a cover for the receptacle.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of a closed receptacle having a hinged frame that is adapted to mount an article supporting member in any of several positions.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of a receptacle having a hinged frame adapted to secure an article supporting member in any of several display positions.

Other and further objects of the invention will be more fully understood from a consideration of the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing; and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of one modification of the invention, parts being broken away to disclose certain of the structural details;

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the receptacle shown in Figure 1 with an article supporting member cooperating with a clo sure frame to form a cover;

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view showing the receptacle in opened position and the article supporting member removed therefrom;

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the receptacle in closed position and the ar-.

ticle supporting member inverted for display through the frame-like cover;

Figure 5 is a further sectional view of the receptacle showing the hinged frame and article supporting member in one display position;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing the article supporting member in another display position;

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view through the hinge structure showing the manner in which the frame-like cover is held in position at a given point between extreme opened and closed position; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary plan view of the base of the receptacle further illustrating the structure of Figure 7.

Reference is now had to the drawing wherein the numeral If] is employed to generally designate a closed receptacle embodying one form of the invention. The receptacle comprises a body H and cover !2. These members may be of any suitable configuration and material, depending on the type and size of the article-to be packaged and displayed. In the present instance thereceptacle is of the type generally utilized in packaging and displaying small articles of jewelry such, for example, as rings, pins, etc., and is molded from synthetic resin or similar material. It will be understood, however, that the material from which the receptacle is produced and the size thereof has no bearing on the invention.

The body I l is formed with a suitable base wall l3, front wall l4, side walls i6, and reinforced rear wall [1. At the meeting edges of the upright walls, namely, l4, l6, and Il, reinforced portions or corner pieces is are provided that, in the,

present disclosure, are of the same height as the walls of which they form a part. Midway of the rear wall I! is a recess l9 that, adjacent the upper end of the wall, is formed with a spring seat 2| with which one end of spring 22 is engaged. The pivotal connection between the base II and cover member I2 is shown to be in the nature of a bead and socket structure, a bead 23 being formed on the upper edge of the wall I! of the base. This bead is interrupted by the recess l9 and spring seat 2|.

The cover I 2 is formed with front and side walls 24 and 26 and a reinforced rear wall 21 that corresponds to the wall I! of the body ll. Midway of the wall 21 is a recess 28 that includes a spring seat 29 with which the other end of spring 22 is engaged. A socket 3|, of the general contour of the bead 23, is formed along the lower edge of wall 21 and is interrupted by the recess 28. When the cover is placed upon the body, with the bead and socket 23 and 3| inter fitting, spring 22 is snapped into engagement with spring seats 2| and 29. Figures 2 and 3 of the drawing show two extreme positions of the cover with respect to the body, as may be determined by t-he spring 22. The spring is so designed and arranged, as may be clearly understood from my Patent No. 1,833,305, that it will hold the cover and body in operable pivotal relationship and yieldingly hold the cover in extreme opened or closed position.

An article supporting member 32 is adapted to be mounted in the receptacle. In the present disclosure this member is of rectangular shape and formed with a recess 33 in one face thereof. Suitable padding or other article mounting and retaining means may be secured in recess 33. At the ends the member 32 is formed with lugs 34 that terminate short of the top and bottom edges of said member. The shoulders thus formed by the lugs adjacent the open side of the recess are adapted to rest upon the upper edges of corner pieces IS in the base H (see Figure 1). Thus the member 32 is supported above the base wall of the body II and articles carried thereby may project downwardly into the space 36 thus provided. Inasmuch as the lugs 34 provide substantially identical shoulders adjacent the closed, as well as the open side of the member 32, said member may be inverted substantially as shown in Figure 4 and the shoulders of lugs 34 will engage the corner pieces [8 in the manner shown.

It will be understood that with the member 32 in the position of Figure 2 of the drawing, an article of merchandise is enclosed by the receptacle and is properly protected for packaging and transportation and when it is desired to display the article contained in the receptacle, the cover 82 may be moved to the position of Figure 3, the member 32 removed and inverted to disclose the article.

Attention is again directed to the cover l2 in which a rectangular aperture 31 is defined by flanges 38. This aperture is of the same rectangular shape as the member 32, being only sulficiently larger than said member to permit interengagement of these elements. The member 32 may not be moved through the aperture 31 because of the lugs 34 contacting flanges 38. With this interfitting arrangement of the article securing member 32 and the cover I2, it will be noted that the base wall of the member 32, when in the position of Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, serves to fill the aperture 31 and complete the cover l2. The base wall may be ornamented as desired, and presents an attractive appearance when framed by the flanges 38 of the cover. The cover may be opened, member 32 inverted and again seated, as already described, and when the cover is closed (see Figure 4) any article of merchandise su'pported'by said member will be framed by the closed cover. Since the member 32 may not be projected through the aperture 31, said member may be mounted on top of the cover to the extent permitted by the lugs 34 for the purpose of displaying an article of merchandise in a position somewhat above the receptacle.

. Midway of the length of the walls 24 and 26 of the cover I2 and adjacent flanges 38, blisters or other suitable projections 39 are provided. These blisters project slightly into the limits of the aperture 31 and when the member 32 is projected into said aperture, the sides thereof have frictional contact with the blisters to maintain said member in interengagement with the cover even though the cover may be moved into the position indicated in Figure 5 of the drawing. Because the receptacle in which the invention is illustrated is a molded product, it has been found convenient to mold the blisters 39 instead of applying a separate friction piece or attempting to so accurately fit the member 32 to the walls of the aperture that inadvertent separation will not take place. It is evident, however, that other means may be employed for this purpose when the invention is applied to a receptacle other than as illustrated.

' As it may not be found desirable to display an article either in the position of Figure 4 or Figure 5, provision is made whereby the cover may be positioned somewhere between these extremes such, for example, as indicated in Figure 6. One means of accomplishing this is through the provision of a pair of small ribs 4| in the upper surface of the bead 23. A further rib 42 is formed in the socket 3|. When the cover is moved from closed toward opened position, rib 42 rides over and snaps into place between rib-s 4| due to the tension created between body and cover by spring 22. The cover is now yieldingly held in partly opened position, and with the member 32 in position to display merchandise, the angle of the cover with respect to the body may be, under certain circumstances, more suitable. It will be apparent that more than one intermediate position of the cover l2 with respect to the body may be provided.

Although applicant has shown and described only one modification of a closed receptacle having an invertible article securing and displaying member and a cover that may be utilized to frame the member in any of several positions, it will be understood that modifications of the invention may be made in the application to receptacles of different sizes and materials and such modifications are contemplated insofar as they are within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the hereunto annexed claims.

Having thus set forth my invention what I claim as new and for which I desire protection by Letters Patent is:

l. A closed receptacle for a displayable article comprising a pivotally connected body and cover, said cover being apertured, an article supporting member in said receptacle projecting into said cover and registering with said aperture, said member being locatable in said cover in upright or inverted position to expose to or conceal from view an'article carried thereby, and projections on said cover yieldingly securing said member to said cover in any pivotal position thereof.

2. A closed receptacle for a displayable article comprising a pivotally connected body and cover, said cover being apertured, an article supporting member in said receptacle projecting into said cover and registering with said aperture, said member being locatable in said cover in upright 0r inverted position to expose or to conceal from view on article carried thereby, and means on said cover and said member cooperabl to yieldingly secure said member to said cover in any pivotal position thereof.

3. A closed receptacle for a displayable article comprising a pivotally connected body and cover, said cover being apertured, an article supporting member in said receptacle projecting into said cover and registering with said aperture, said member being locatable in said cover in upright or inverted position to expose or to conceal from view an article carried thereby, means on said cover and said member cooperable to yieldingly secure said member to said cover in any pivotal position thereof, and further means serving to arrest movement of said cover at. at least one point between the opened and closed positions thereof without affecting the mounted position of said member in said cover.

MERRILL L. RATHBUN. 

